moly99 Archives - NEOLUBE® Industrial Dry Lubricants https://neolube.com/tag/moly99/ Huron Industries, Inc. | Woman-Owned Small Business Wed, 28 Jul 2021 21:01:18 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://neolube.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/cropped-neolube-site-logo-32x32.png moly99 Archives - NEOLUBE® Industrial Dry Lubricants https://neolube.com/tag/moly99/ 32 32 Making Moly 99 (mo-99) more safely https://neolube.com/safer-methods-for-the-production-of-mo-99/ Mon, 12 Oct 2020 09:39:00 +0000 http://neolube.com/?p=920 Up until now, the United States, while demanding more Mo-99 than any other country in the world, has barely produced any of the radioisotopes since the 1980s. With the decision by the United States government to grant funding to four companies to produce the material, the US will begin producing sufficient Mo-99 for its own […]

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]]> Up until now, the United States, while demanding more Mo-99 than any other country in the world, has barely produced any of the radioisotopes since the 1980s. With the decision by the United States government to grant funding to four companies to produce the material, the US will begin producing sufficient Mo-99 for its own needs, as well as for export. This is a major boost for the nuclear industry. The medical industry will also be able to count on a steady supply of Mo-99, which is a vital material for use in nuclear imaging.

In addition, the manufacturing process will be much safer. The production of Mo-99 has long been problematic because of the use of targets containing weapons-grade, or highly enriched uranium (HEU), as well as the resultant dangerous waste products. With the new methods being developed, both of these concerns can be addressed.

Making Mo-99 with LEU and Mo-98

Each of the four companies is developing a different method and building different infrastructure to facilitate and support it.

Shine Medical Technologies is building a facility in Janesville, Wisconsin, where it will use an approach centered on low-enriched uranium (LEU) and a low-energy, accelerator-based neutron source. NorthStar, also based in Wisconsin, has been working on two approaches: one that employs the irradiation of Mo-98 and another that makes use of a linear accelerator. Northwest Medical Isotopes, LLC (NWMI) in Oregon is also working on an approach that uses LEU. Niowave, based in Lansing, Michigan, is developing superconducting electron linear accelerators for the production of medical isotopes.

Huron Industries specializes in formulating lubricants for nuclear reactors. Contact us to find out how our products aid several nuclear industrial processes, including the production of Mo-99.

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]]> USA set to increase production of Mo-99 https://neolube.com/usa-set-to-increase-production-of-mo-99/ Mon, 05 Oct 2020 09:22:00 +0000 http://neolube.com/?p=913 Following the decision last year by the Department of Energy to grant funding to four companies for the production of Mo-99, the output of this essential medical isotope has been developing apace. The move came amid calls to deal with the regular global shortages of the molybdenum isotope, an integral component in the medical industry, […]

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]]> Following the decision last year by the Department of Energy to grant funding to four companies for the production of Mo-99, the output of this essential medical isotope has been developing apace. The move came amid calls to deal with the regular global shortages of the molybdenum isotope, an integral component in the medical industry, where it is used extensively for nuclear imaging. 

Previously, most of the world’s Mo-99 had come from four reactors: one each in Belgium, the Netherlands, South Africa and Russia. If there were any interruptions at any of those plants, a worldwide shortage would result. Also, the production processes employed all involved highly enriched uranium (HEU), which is regarded as a nuclear proliferation risk. With US companies boosting the domestic production of the radioisotope, using processes that do not involve HEU, the country can reduce its imports of Mo-99, decrease the global over-reliance on only four producers, and help to lower the risk of nuclear proliferation.

New Mo-99 production processes

The four companies that received government funding have developed increased infrastructure and new processes to make Mo-99. These include superconductor electron linear accelerators, the irradiation of Mo-98 and the use of low-enriched uranium (LEU) targets. One of the applicants, Shine Medical Technologies, expects to be up and running by 2022 and to be able to supply around two-thirds of the domestic demand.

The $15 million grants, which are being matched by numerous industry partners, mark a significant boost for both the nuclear and medical industries, as well as businesses supplying various support products and services to these sectors. 

Huron Industries specializes in formulating lubricants for nuclear reactors. Contact us to find out how our products aid several nuclear industrial processes, including the production of Mo-99.

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